SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Lucas Calhoun of Maplewood announced that he will be withdrawing from the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education race, in which he was one of nine remaining candidates, with a former candidate, John Sarantakis, having already bowed out. This leaves eight candidates running for three open seats: incumbents Elizabeth Baker […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Thousands of residents from South Orange and surrounding towns tapped into their inner child on Sept. 17 for PlayDay South Orange, an annual event hosted by the South Orange Village Center Alliance. Having a blast, residents enjoyed inflatables, booths, games, face painting and so much more. Photos Courtesy of SOVCA
IRVINGTON, NJ — Wednesday, Sept. 6, was the first day back on the job for Irvington Police Division Capt. Monique Smith, after she was cleared of all criminal charges related to an off-duty incident involving Newark Councilman John Sharpe James in 2014, son of the former Newark mayor. According to Smith’s attorney, Steven Altman, on […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Brookdale Elementary School, through its Brookdale Home and School Association, has adopted a Texas school that had been damaged by Hurricane Harvey. The president of the association is Jennifer Guidea. Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 and remained over Houston for four days, dropping more than 4 feet of rain. Guidea said she […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Despite a challenging start to the day, public schools opened across West Orange on Sept. 6. Downpours, a power outage in the St. Cloud area, and an accident on Route 280 delayed school buses by about 20 minutes due to traffic congestion in those areas. Power was restored to the St. […]
EAST ORANGE, NJ — The members of the Committee on the Status of Men in East Orange were in front of Robert Bowser Elementary School on Thursday, Sept. 7, to welcome students and parents back to school on the first day of class, and they were also at the 9/11 Interfaith Call for Peace Community […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The members of the Maplewood Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution that settles the severance payout to former Maplewood Police Capt. Joshua Cummis, who recently retired after being placed on administrative leave. Following the release of records from the July 5, 2016, clash between Maplewood police and many teenagers, many of whom […]
IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington Fire Department held its own impromptu 9/11 Memorial Tribute outside its Civic Square headquarters Monday, Sept. 11, marking the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and an empty field in Pennsylvania where an aborted attempt on […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ – Second-grade students at Kelly Elementary School had a surprise visit on Sept. 7 from West Orange Rotary and the West Orange African Heritage Organization, who brought 140 backpacks for distribution. Rotarian Cynthia Hadley-Bailey, whose children attended Kelly — formerly Pleasantdale — Elementary School, brought 100 backpacks and WOAHO President Robert Simmons […]
Schafer uses her art to change perceptions in community
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Addressing the stigmas surrounding black masculinity is a difficult task, but that is exactly what Maplewood resident and Columbia High School alumna Claudia Schafer hopes to do with her new exhibit “Black and Blue,” which examines the personal experiences with prejudice and racism of six young black men. The exhibit is on […]